Forum:15: General of Light and Shadow
The group met at the hidden establishment known as Red Butterfly, to exchange what they learned while separated and develop plans towards their next move. They were under some guard from the ladies present, and were eventually asked to meet their mistress, Azalea Feng. Lin remembered Yellow mentioning her as a formidable woman, and she in turn revealed that Yellow was a frequent client of her establishment. She explained to the group, rather obliquely, that she was originally responsible for training the women of the Red Butterfly as spies for the empire. However, the current regime has devalued her contributions and even injured one of her own, resulting in the destruction of a large part of her livelihood. She is now out to repay the favor and intends to deprive the Emperor of his livelihood in response. However, to do this she needs allies, and mentioned that while the Nataraja may be an obvious choice, she is convinced that Yellow's hand in this situation may be significant. She went on to ask the party to inform her if they happen to uncover anything revelatory about their fox-child friend, though went on to add that she did not expect them to succeed where a small army of trained spies failed. She offered information about the mage-like man that Ten-Tongues encountered. He is a once-retired general of the military of Jiang, known as General Xue. She told them that he was a man of many means and that he controlled both the visible army of the streets of Jiang and the army of shadows hidden from public notice. She also mentioned that he is single-mindedly devoted to the Emperor, having served all three generations of the Cao family and is akin to their loyal dog, thinking little for himself and putting the Emperor's wishes first. Finally, he is a man who demands respect for his position, and thus is always to be addressed as "Master". The group opted to try a negotiation with General Xue, but found that their evasive apologetic letter was met with an ultimatum and a request to meet. The group took up hiding places near the meeting spot, but the General brought a contingent of troops with him who blocked off traffic, before introducing himself and his dwarven comrade Guard Captain Jiao. Jiao, an experienced inquisitor, verified that Ten-Tongues' responses to Xue's questions were accurate, and Xue revealed that his intention was to get the rest of the scrolls of Baihu's Last Breath as per the wishes of his lord. He stated bluntly that his intention was to have the scroll the party possessed in his custody by the end of the conversation. Though Ten-Tongues negotiated as well as he could, a feeling of dread built up inside him before Xue revealed that his investigation of the party uncovered the fact that the Meridian Cross belonged to them, and a group of his soldiers were there at that exact moment to retrieve the scroll. Trapped, Ten-Tongues revealed the hidden location of the scroll without further prodding, and Xue, upon receiving word that the scroll had been retrieved, suddenly took on a more civil air. He genuinely thanked Ten-Tongues for acting as a proper citizen of Jiang would. He invited Ten-Tongues and his compatriots to speak to Captain Jiao if they were in need of work or knew anything more about the scrolls, and left after paying for Ten Tongues' tea. The group, feeling somewhat askew at having been caught in such a problematic situation, have opted to lay low and pursue another line of work for the time being. They begin to seriously consider taking up the Lordly Raven's invitation of seeing the strange alien land of Hafuujou at least once... Rewards from the last mission: Contact with Captain Jiao, A new objective: Find out about Yellow